Present coolers or ice chests come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Coolers, generally, are formed with an insulated shell around a hollow cavity or storage section to store items desired to be kept cool. Items to be kept cool are placed along with a cold source, typically ice or cold packs, within the storage section. Coolers are generally portable and include handles for lifting. Some coolers include integrated wheels to facilitate transport.
A problem exists in that, once loaded, present coolers are very hard to move. Coolers without wheels must be carried, and items stored within the storage section add to the weight of the cooler itself to become a large, heavy, bulky apparatus. For many outings, a cooler is only one part of the gear carried to the destination. For some destinations the cooler may simply be placed in a car or truck and driven to the destination. Some destinations, however, like a beach, park, remote campsite or boat, do not typically provide an easy way to transport a cooler in a vehicle to the final destination, so the cooler must be carried or dragged. Coolers with wheels often suffer from poor design, construction, or material choice and are a constant source of frustration. Wheels that may properly operate on the flat, level floor of a store tend to sink in soft ground, such as sand or a forest trail. Loading a cooler with heavy items exacerbates the problem.
Further, a cooler may only be one of a number of items desired at the destination. Many people enjoy comforts brought from home when at a destination, such as chairs, blankets, and sporting devices such as Frisbees and paddle-balls. Transporting such items may be difficult, especially when traveling with small children who cannot carry heavy, bulky, or a multitude of items.
Another limitation of present coolers is that they only store pre-made drinks, and therefore limit the types of drinks that may be enjoyed at the destination.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other issues in the prior art.